Twenty-four answers, no sales pitch.

The questions we get asked before a project starts, answered in plain language and kept short on purpose: what we build, what it costs, how long it takes, who ends up owning the result, how we handle search and AI answers, and what we will not promise. If a paragraph here saves you a call, it has done its job.

Reviewed September 20, 2026. Prices are quoted per project; nothing on this page is a published price list.

Working with us

What exactly do you build?

Hand-written websites: first sites, multi-page business sites, portfolios, landing pages, redesigns and rescue jobs. We also do SEO structure, AI-search content, security reviews and integrations like bookings and payments. If a job needs a page builder or a rented platform, we are the wrong studio.

Who do you work with?

Small businesses and independent professionals who own their business and want to own their website. We work remotely with clients anywhere. The work suits someone who wants one clear scope and a fixed price rather than an open-ended agency relationship.

How do we start?

Send the brief form on the homepage, or email hello@firmitas.studio with a few rough lines. You get questions, then a written scope with one price and a delivery date. Nothing is charged and nothing is built until you say go.

Do you work with existing sites?

Yes. Many projects are repairs rather than rebuilds: broken layouts, forms that do not deliver, slow pages, missing page titles. We inspect first, quote the smaller option when it is the honest answer, and tell you when a rebuild is the better use of money.

Cost

What will my website cost?

You get one fixed price, agreed in writing before work starts, based on what the site needs to do. We do not publish a price list because a five-page site and a booking system are not the same job. Our own research into 2026 market pricing is at /website-cost if you want context first.

Why do you not publish prices?

Because a published number invites a comparison that ignores scope. A cheaper quote usually covers fewer pages, fewer revisions, or leaves the accounts in someone else's name. Send us a quote you have and we will tell you straight whether it is fair, whether or not you hire us.

What is not included?

Running costs are separate and usually small: your domain renewal, hosting, and any paid service you choose. The quote names them so nothing appears after launch. Optional work later — new pages, integrations, ongoing SEO — is quoted as its own fixed-price piece.

Do I pay in instalments?

Yes. The usual structure is a deposit before work starts and the balance at handover, and the quote states both. Because the price is fixed, the second payment does not move if the work takes longer than planned.

Time

How long does a website take?

Simple sites take days. Larger builds depend on their scope, and every quote includes an expected delivery date. Most of the elapsed time is content and approvals rather than development: the faster you can answer questions, the faster it ships.

How much of my time will it take?

A few hours in total for most small sites: one conversation about the business, one review of the design, and one pass through the preview before launch. We ask for the material we need in one request rather than dripping questions through the build.

Can you work to a deadline?

Often, yes — a launch date, a season or an event. Say the date when you send the brief and we will confirm before you commit, so the deadline is in the quote rather than discovered later.

Ownership

Do I own the code?

Yes. Your site is hand-written HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and you own the source. There is no proprietary page builder, no licence to keep paying, and nothing that stops another developer picking it up.

Can I host it somewhere else?

Yes. It is a static site, so any host will serve it. Move it whenever you like, with or without telling us. Handover includes everything needed to do that.

Do I pay you anything after launch?

No. There are no retainers and no maintenance fee. What you pay afterwards is whatever your domain and hosting cost, paid to those providers directly, in your name.

Can I edit the site myself?

Yes for text and images, if you are comfortable in code. If you would rather not, we quote edits as small fixed-price pieces, or we can add a simple editor for the parts you change often — menus and prices are the usual candidates.

What happens if you disappear?

Nothing happens to your website. The domain, hosting, email and source are in your name, and the handover document lists every account and how to reach support. There is no dependency on us answering an email.

Technology

Do you use a website builder?

No. We write the pages, which is why they load quickly and do not break when a platform changes its pricing. The trade-off is that edits are done in code or through a small editor we add, rather than through a drag-and-drop dashboard.

Will my site work without JavaScript?

The content does. We build so the page reads, the navigation works and the enquiry route exists even when scripts fail or are blocked, with the motion as the enhancement rather than the mechanism. That is also what makes the pages fast.

Do you build online shops?

Small ones. Catalogue and payment integrations are usually fine through a provider you already trust. When a shop needs complex stock, variants and fulfilment rules, we will say that a dedicated platform is the better answer rather than build you a fragile one.

What is the client portal on your site?

Our own project-tracking tool, built with the same approach as our websites. Clients see updates, milestones and screenshots without emailing to ask what is happening. It is also our demonstration that integrations like portals are normal work, not a special project.

AI, search and security

Will my site show up in AI Overviews or ChatGPT answers?

It can, and we build it that way: direct answers, real structure, facts stated plainly, structured data and an llms.txt index. What nobody can do is guarantee placement in an AI answer — not us, not an agency with a bigger invoice. Treat a guarantee as a warning sign.

Can you guarantee first page on Google?

No, and you should be sceptical of anyone who does. What we control is whether your pages are understandable, fast, consistent and worth citing. Search visibility follows the work, in months rather than weeks.

Is a cheap website less secure?

A low price is not the problem; an unmaintained site is. Most small business incidents come from abandoned plugins, exposed backups and reused passwords. We build static sites with few moving parts, then review how yours handles logins, forms and personal data — and say plainly what can still go wrong.

Do you do ongoing SEO?

We scope it as fixed pieces — new pages, content, technical work — rather than a monthly retainer. You will not be billed monthly for the same report. If you want a retainer relationship with an agency, that is a legitimate choice; it is just not what we sell.

Questions

What exactly do you build?

Hand-written websites: first sites, multi-page business sites, portfolios, landing pages, redesigns and rescue jobs. We also do SEO structure, AI-search content, security reviews and integrations like bookings and payments. If a job needs a page builder or a rented platform, we are the wrong studio.

Who do you work with?

Small businesses and independent professionals who own their business and want to own their website. We work remotely with clients anywhere. The work suits someone who wants one clear scope and a fixed price rather than an open-ended agency relationship.

How do we start?

Send the brief form on the homepage, or email hello@firmitas.studio with a few rough lines. You get questions, then a written scope with one price and a delivery date. Nothing is charged and nothing is built until you say go.

Do you work with existing sites?

Yes. Many projects are repairs rather than rebuilds: broken layouts, forms that do not deliver, slow pages, missing page titles. We inspect first, quote the smaller option when it is the honest answer, and tell you when a rebuild is the better use of money.

What will my website cost?

You get one fixed price, agreed in writing before work starts, based on what the site needs to do. We do not publish a price list because a five-page site and a booking system are not the same job. Our own research into 2026 market pricing is at /website-cost if you want context first.

Why do you not publish prices?

Because a published number invites a comparison that ignores scope. A cheaper quote usually covers fewer pages, fewer revisions, or leaves the accounts in someone else's name. Send us a quote you have and we will tell you straight whether it is fair, whether or not you hire us.

What is not included?

Running costs are separate and usually small: your domain renewal, hosting, and any paid service you choose. The quote names them so nothing appears after launch. Optional work later — new pages, integrations, ongoing SEO — is quoted as its own fixed-price piece.

Do I pay in instalments?

Yes. The usual structure is a deposit before work starts and the balance at handover, and the quote states both. Because the price is fixed, the second payment does not move if the work takes longer than planned.

How long does a website take?

Simple sites take days. Larger builds depend on their scope, and every quote includes an expected delivery date. Most of the elapsed time is content and approvals rather than development: the faster you can answer questions, the faster it ships.

How much of my time will it take?

A few hours in total for most small sites: one conversation about the business, one review of the design, and one pass through the preview before launch. We ask for the material we need in one request rather than dripping questions through the build.

Can you work to a deadline?

Often, yes — a launch date, a season or an event. Say the date when you send the brief and we will confirm before you commit, so the deadline is in the quote rather than discovered later.

Do I own the code?

Yes. Your site is hand-written HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and you own the source. There is no proprietary page builder, no licence to keep paying, and nothing that stops another developer picking it up.

Related: 24 short answers about working with us · what a website costs in 2026 · three demo builds you can open.